


Coming Home (isn't always easy)

by Esper



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Feels, Derek Uses His Words, Derek and the Sheriff are friends, F/M, Feels, I hope that's okay, I want people to read the story to find out what happens, I'm not tagging everything because it would be spoiler territory, M/M, Multi, No really - slowest of builds, Not just the tags, Pack Feels, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Torture, Police Officer Derek, Stiles Feels, The slowest of builds, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2013-04-25
Packaged: 2017-12-09 12:18:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/774111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esper/pseuds/Esper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coming home after a long day at work was one of the most relaxing feelings. It was similar to when you returned from a vacation. That moment when you're finally just home, it's a good feeling. Regardless of how great your time away was; you're happy to be back. Well, that was usually the case; unless you had been away two years. But even then, perhaps it would still be good. Except leaving hadn't actually been your choice. Coming home wasn't going to be easy for Stiles Stilinski. He'll have to attempt to deal with all the changes that have happened at home during his absence. All the changes to his little town, his friends, and his family... But even if he could deal with all the change...</p><p>Could Beacon Hills handle him now?</p><p>( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnIoQyJiLXk ; Where Do I Even Start? - Morgan Taylor Reid ; inspiration for this fic )</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home (isn't always easy)

Street lights overhead illuminated the dark road around him; houses along the road bright with life as families went about their nights. Stiles sighed. He couldn’t believe he was back in Beacon Hills, as this was somewhere he thought he’d never see again. He stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the house he used to call home. He didn’t have one of those, not anymore. It was here that he had to make a decision, a crossroads stood before him. What should he do? Before he began to consider his options, his eyes were drawn to his Father’s car – the Sheriff’s car. It stood silent in the driveway, which meant his Dad had kept his job; that his Dad was still alive. Stiles had a surge of hope that this meant he hadn't drowned himself in alcohol, the way he had when Mom had died. This was good, maybe just knowing all this would be enough. Maybe he could actually move on now, forget about Beacon Hills. Forget about the place that used to be home.

What he wasn’t accounting for was the blue jeep that was parked just off the driveway, half on the grass. That was his jeep. Well, his old jeep. And it was still there. Why was it still there? It should be long gone; rusted and falling apart. But in fact, it looked to be in better shape than when Stiles had seen it last. The driver side door had been replaced with a door that matched the color of the rest of the jeep, for one. The door had been torn off, in a battle against the supernatural, and Stiles had it replaced with the first Jeep door he’d come across in the junk yard, something with a minimal amount of rust. Stiles tried to take all this in; to take in what it meant. Someone – his Father, presumably – had been taking care of the jeep, his jeep! Why would he do that?

It had been two years. Shouldn’t he have long been assumed dead?

Stiles’s hands were shaking, unable to keep still. He told himself he could have resisted the urge to investigate further if he hadn’t seen the jeep, that he could have turned his back and left Beacon Hills behind forever. His heartbeat thumped irregularly, even though he already knew he was lying to himself. Had he just been fooling himself all this time? Pretending that he was coming here to make a final choice and that he hadn’t already made up his mind. Yes, that seemed most likely. Fooling himself that he hadn’t fully intended from the start to walk to the front door of the place he once called home and knock. He let out a sigh, eyes moving up to rest on the front door as he resigned himself. This had always been what he had wanted, what he intended to do. He had just been hiding it from himself.

One of Stiles’s hands came up to rub at his neck. His hands were still unsteady, even though he had made his decision. He would knock on the door, even if the person he hoped and feared would be inside could possibly never forgive him, once he found out everything. His Dad surely looked for him; searched hard for him. That much, Stiles was certain of. He didn’t even have the decency to be found, instead… He would just show up at the doorstep. He was also different, too different. So much had changed while he had been gone; he had changed. Things had happened that he wasn’t proud of, bad things. Once his Dad learned the truth… Found out how tainted and broken he was… He didn’t know what would happen. Steeling himself, he focused on his hands to stop them from shaking so violently, and he knocked.

The Sheriff’s head snapped up at the sound of someone knocking at the door. Wiping the tiredness from his eyes as he slowly stood up, chair scratching back over the same worn patch of floorboards it did every night. The table he had been sitting at was covered in papers; half were from his work, mostly late paperwork, but the other half was all the information he could find about missing persons ages 16-25. Flyers, police reports, eye witness reports on suspicious activity… Anything he could get his hands on that could lead to his missing son. Even some police reports from Canada that he managed to weasel into his possession.

He grumbled as he crossed through the kitchen and to the front door, stretching his sore muscles as he went; falling asleep at the kitchen table always left his back and neck aching. Who would be coming by this late, anyway? It could be Derek, with another lead. But he had been here earlier in the day, so that was unlikely. His new Deputy sure was devoted to helping him find Stiles… Not that the Sheriff was complaining. He knew some of the reasons why, but he didn’t pry further. All the leads Derek brought to him ended without anything to do with Stiles, and yet, they never gave up. Shaking his head, he brought his hand to the doorknob. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he looked down to see his hand shaking as it rested on the metal. His eyes slowly widened, not understanding the way his body was reacting. Why his heartbeat was suddenly so fast. Who was on the other side of the door? 

The Sheriff flung the door open quickly; ready to reach for his gun. But something inside of his chest was telling him that there was no need to feel threatened. Immediately, he knew his instincts had been right, and he had been right to trust them.

Because standing in the doorway was Stiles. 

Standing in the doorway was his son.

Tears began to stream down he Sheriff’s face as he just stared. Stared at the son he’d lost; stared at the only piece of family that was left to him in the world. Stiles had come. Stiles had come back to him. Through eyes blurred with tears, the Sheriff still managed to take in Stiles’s appearance. His breath hitched in the back of his throat as he noticed how tall Stiles was now; at least 6’2”. His hair was longer as well, messily sticking up all over the place. There was something else, but the Sheriff couldn’t work out what it was. Stiles’s presence was different now. Perhaps it was just that he had been away so long… His son had become a man, and he hadn’t been there to see it.

“Stiles.” The Sheriff’s voice cracked, as he reached forward and enveloped his son into his arms. He hugged him tightly, as if he was grounding him to the earth.

“Dad.” Stiles finally responded, gasping out the word as his eyes overflowed with tears mimicking the Sheriff’s.

“Oh god, Stiles. You’re home, son. You’re home. I love you.” Tears began to wet Stiles’s shoulder as the Sheriff strengthened his hug. “You came back to me, Stiles. You came back.”

Stiles couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down his face. How could he have ever thought his Dad wouldn’t love him, wouldn’t want him? They were all they had in the world, each other. How could he have ever thought that?

“I’m home, Dad. I’m back. I love you. I’m so sorry. I’m here. I’m sorry it took so long, but I’m here.” Stiles finally squeezed his Father back, hands coming up, clinging to him for dear life. He never wanted this moment to end.

It took both of the men a long time to regain their composure. Even when they had, their eyes both still glistened; as if tears were just a moment away. Eventually they managed to get inside, closing the door behind them.

“You’ve grown so much.” The Sheriff said, taking a good look over his son.

“Not that much.” Stiles muttered softly, redness coming up to his face as his Father’s eyes travelled over him.

“Stiles… What happened? What happened to you? It’s been two years… Son, where have you been for two years?” He asked, as he sunk down into a chair at the kitchen table. The Sheriff’s eyes never left Stiles.

“Dad… Things… Things happened. A lot of things. I didn’t willingly leave. I didn’t leave you. I was taken… I was taken, and held captive for a long time. I didn’t want to leave you. I thought about you, missed you… But please… Can we just… Can I just be with you for tonight? Can we talk about this tomorrow, please?” His eyes flicked up to look at his father, pleading; even though he knew it was unreasonable. Even though he knew that the cop in his Father would want all the answers now, not later.

The Sheriff’s hand tightened on the kitchen table as he hesitated; unsure how to respond. “Of course, Stiles.” He finally said. “But you… You have to tell me tomorrow, Stiles. You have to tell me everything. Okay?”

“I promise Dad. I promise, tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll tell you everything.” Stiles vowed, sincerely.

“Tomorrow.” The Sheriff repeated, as if saying it again would make him feel better. He wanted to know now, what had happened to his son… But he also didn’t want to push Stiles. He had already been through so much, apparently. He could see it in his son’s eyes, that the last years had not done him any favors. “Come over here and hug your old man again.” The Sheriff demands.

Stiles obeyed.

Half an hour later, the two of them were sitting at the kitchen table, cups of coffee in hand. Stiles brought his cup to his lips, taking a long, slow sip. God, he hadn’t tasted his Dad’s coffee in so long; it really was the best. He guessed that was a trait of a great cop, good coffee. They hadn’t said much in the last half an hour, just enjoying each other’s company again after such a long time apart. At one point, the Sheriff reached over and placed his hand over his son’s, just sitting like that as they sipped their coffee. Stiles just… Let him. Pleased with the contact, the safety it seemed to bring with it. Eventually though, Stiles retracted his hand and sipped the last of his coffee. He stood up and took the mug to the sink, something that felt so natural that it scared him.

“I could really use a shower…” He voice quiet, he turned to look at his Dad. “I’ve missed our water pressure almost as much as I missed you.” His mouth turned up in a smile, as he made sure his Dad knew he was kidding. It was so easy to just lapse back into himself with his Dad; to pretend nothing had happened. It was light, carefree. It felt like a vacation away from the last 2 years that had been his life. He hoped it was a permanent vacation. Because this really was home, this was what it felt like to be safe.

“Shower’s still the same. Water pressure’s a bit too hard, in my opinion. But you always liked it that way.” The Sheriff smiled, eyes thoughtful.

“You think I could… Borrow some clothes? I’ve kind of outgrown my old stuff… I mean… If you still have any of my old stuff... I know it’s been a long… A long time.” Stiles swallowed hard, eyes closing as he was scared to hear the answer; scared to hear that his room had been turned into a guest room or something.

“Your room is almost exactly the way you left it, Stiles.” His Father was quick to reassure him. “I would never… Never get rid of anything. And of course, you can borrow whatever you need. We’ll need to go shopping for some new stuff for you.” The Sheriff’s throat tightened, forcing him to swallow hard.

Stiles’s eyes slipped open as a small smile crept up onto his face. Relief flooded through him, as he learned his room had been kept the same. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.” He told his Dad, reaching over to pull him into a hug again. He broke it a moment later, and moved away towards the stairs.

The Sheriff smiled as he hugged his son back. “Don’t take too long, okay?” His heartbeat picked up in worry, as visions of Stiles going upstairs and vanishing again flooded his mind. What if this was all just a dream? His breath began to become slightly laboured as he felt panic rising inside of him. What if Stiles never actually came home and he would wake up at the kitchen table any moment…

Stiles was two steps up the stairs, as he turned to look back at his Father. Quickly coming back downstairs and pulling him into another tight hug. “Dad, I’m just going to take a shower. Upstairs. Then I’ll be right back and we can talk some more, okay?” He reassured him. “You could even come upstairs, and help me pick out some of your clothes for me to borrow? Would that be okay?”

The Sheriff swallowed hard as he tried to reign himself in. Stiles pulled away and began to climb the stairs again. “That sounds great, Stiles.” He felt better at the prospect of following Stiles upstairs.

Once Stiles was upstairs, he couldn’t resist the temptation to walk into his room. It was dark once he got inside, but after a second his curiosity was peaked, and he flicked the light switch on. Everything looked the same, it was just as he remembered it. It all looked right, exactly the same, until his eyes slid over to his desk; the surface of which was covered in a large pile of wrapped gifts.

“Dad?” He called, backing up until he was in the hallway. His voice shook with emotion, eyes wide as he looked to his Father for answers.

The Sheriff rushed up to his son, following him back into his bedroom until he saw what Stiles was so emotional about. “What’s wrong?” He asked, as his eyes land on the gifts. A wide smile creeps up on the Sheriff. “Those are all from two Christmases and two Birthdays… I think there are even a couple Valentines cards and some Easter candy. They’re all for you. It just… It didn’t feel right. Not shopping for you, for Christmas. What if you came back? What if you came back and there was no presents under the tree for you?” The Sheriff was still smiling, but tears welled up in his eyes. That was something he didn’t care to mention right now... The first Christmas without Stiles, there was presents from all of his friends. This last Christmas, just 4 months prior… The only people who had still bought gifts were himself and Derek Hale. But he wouldn’t tell Stiles that, not yet.

Stiles couldn’t help himself as he got choked up. “Dad… You… Everyone…” He wasn’t even able to finish a whole sentence. Even while he had been gone, nobody had forgotten him. They had all sought to include him, even though they couldn’t see him. It was too much. He couldn’t deal with this right now. “Gonna… Gonna go shower.” He mumbled, brushing past his Dad to get to the bathroom. He quickly shut the door behind him, sliding his back down it until he was sitting. Keeping it together was a lot harder than he thought. Everything was overwhelming him… The sight of his Dad, the sight of his room; even the smells… Stiles let the tears fall, until he could regain himself. He had missed so much, but the thing he couldn’t admit to himself with his Dad present was that even though his friends had all thought of him… He couldn’t be with them now. He couldn’t go back to that place, he couldn’t just fit back into the slot that he had left 2 years ago. With his Dad, it had been miraculously easy. But with everyone else… He knew it wouldn’t be.

That’s what hurt the most, the fact that he would never be that same person again. Never be the person they had missed, that they had loved. He couldn’t be that person ever again.  
Stiles leaned his head back and let out a content sigh. The shower was bliss, absolute bliss. He tried his best to forget about everything, just for the short time under the water. He let the water cascade over his body, relaxing his sore muscles. Much too soon, he was stepping out and wrapping a towel around his waist. While he had been in the shower, his Dad had left a pair of sweats and an old Mets t-shirt outside the bathroom door. Stiles couldn’t stop the smile that came up to his face. That Mets shirt was his Dad’s favorite. He quickly dressed in the things his Dad had left, inhaling his Father’s scent. It was calming. It helped to ground him.

Coming out of the bathroom still radiating the warmth from his shower, he turned back into his bedroom. Stiles ran a hand through his still damp hair, as he sank down in the chair at his desk. He surveyed the pile of gifts and then he carefully pulled one into his lap. ‘To: Stiles From: Scott’ the tag read. Ripping the paper off, he was soon holding a large stack of blue rays. They were a bunch of Marvel and DC movies he had wanted to see, obviously missing in the past 2 years. Stiles bit back some tears, as he put the movies to the side of his desk. He picked up another gift and turned it over, until he could read the tag, it was from his Father. Tearing the penguin wrapping paper off the box, inside was an iPad Mini. Huh, a smaller version of the ipad. That’s cool. Way to go, Dad. That gift was a lot less emotional; Stiles could deal with it. He slid the iPad Mini box over with the blue rays. The next gift was heavy, and he looked at the tag. ‘To: Stiles From: The Pack.’ Panic welled up in Stiles’s gut at that. The pack? What pack was that? There was no way, it couldn’t be… He ripped the paper and pulled out the present, stopping when he realized what it was. It was a leather bound album with a picture slid behind a plastic sheet as the cover. His panic left him as tears welled up in his eyes, falling down onto his lap as he stared at the cover. It was a group picture, black and white, of all of his friends in Beacon Hills. There was Lydia and Jackson, Isaac, Erica and Boyd, Scott and Allison, Danny, Peter, and of course, Derek. They were all smiling at the camera, and there wasn’t any lens flares. They had become a pack, while Stiles was gone. That was good. They all had each other, that was important. He couldn’t bring himself to open the album. though, knowing that it would be filled with pictures, pictures of things he had missed. Things he could have been a part of, had he been here. It was too much. He put the album on top of the pile of gifts and left the room.

Wiping his face and taking a deep breath, he walked back downstairs.

“Letting me wear your favorite shirt?” He asked with a crooked smile, as he turned to his Father at the kitchen table.

“I think you earned it. Plus, it’s the most comfortable shirt I own.” The Sheriff grinned. “You want to… Do something?” He hesitated, unsure. “Take out? A movie? Talk?”

“Actually Dad… I’d just like to sleep in an actual bed.” Stiles admitted. “And hey… Do you think…” He paused, shuffling his feet. “Do you think I could sleep with you? Just this once? Just for tonight?” His eyes had been aimed at the floor as he asked, a faint tinge of red covering his face.

The Sheriff felt his eyes watering up again, he had lost count of how many times that had happened tonight. Stiles looked so small right now, just like his little baby boy. Like he was 5 years old and wanted to sleep with him because he had a nightmare. “Of course you can, Son. Of course. It will be our secret, okay?”

Stiles raised his eyes at that, and visibly relaxed his muscles, his shoulders dropping in relief. A small smile came to his face as he turned to the stairs. “I’m going to get in bed, then. If you have stuff to do or whatever… Just come up when you’re done. Don’t let me inconvenience you or anything.”

The Sheriff stood up immediately. “I’ll come up now. “ He assured his son, as he walked to the front door to make sure it was locked. After doing the same to the back door, he followed Stiles upstairs.

The two Stilinski men had quickly fallen asleep, curled up against each other; both of them seeking the comfort of knowing that the other was there. A cool breeze blew in through the slightly ajar window of the Sheriff’s bedroom, keeping both men from overheating in their closeness.

Hours later, it was through that same window that Stiles heard it; a telltale crack of a branch, and then the crunch of a dried leaf underneath someone’s foot. The hair on the back of his neck went stiff, as his eyes flashed open. They were glowing blood red.

**Author's Note:**

> I've literally been struggling with this idea for months. Writing down parts here, parts there; jotting down ideas and scenes everywhere. I've ranted to so many friends about this, told them spoilers, made them want to hit me. I don't know if it's any good, but I hope some people will enjoy it as much as I enjoy the idea. It's going to be dark, it's going to be a slow build, and it's going to have a lot of feels.
> 
> This song ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnIoQyJiLXk ; Where Do I Even Start? - Morgan Taylor Reid) is what I listened to primarily while writing this chapter. I almost named the story after it, but it's a little long for a name. Haha. It really set the right mood, for me. I hope you'll give it a listen!
> 
> Comments, critique, or anything you want to leave would make my day, really. I'm also over on tumblr, if you want to say hi, talk about the story, or do whatever! (Hey, I love to roleplay. Hint hint. http://aftersong.tumblr.com )
> 
> Thank you so much to all of my friends who helped me get this first chapter out!
> 
> Special thanks to my fabulous ladyfriend Adria for betaing for me!. Please go check out her awesome tumblr (and jewelry shop! http://dreamofflight.tumblr.com )
> 
> And also my great friend Pepper. Check out her tumblr (and button shop; as well as her roommate's art shop! http://pepperjohnrogers.tumblr.com/ )


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